Waymo expands robotaxis to Toronto, its first Canadian city

Waymo announced on October 16, 2026 that it is bringing its robotaxi service to Toronto, marking the company's first expansion into Canada. The move follows approval to join Ontario's automated vehicle pilot program, which permits testing but not yet commercial robotaxi operations.

Waymo is following the same rollout sequence it has used in every prior market: first, human drivers manually map the city's streets; then autonomous vehicles are tested on public roads with a safety operator in the driver's seat; eventually that operator moves out of the driver's seat; and only then does the service open to public riders. According to Waymo's own announcement, the company is targeting 2028 to welcome its first Toronto riders — a multi-year runway that reflects how methodically the company treats each new market rather than a quick launch.

Toronto-based Element Fleet Management will manage Waymo's vehicle fleet in the city, a partnership Waymo says will support hundreds of local jobs across fleet maintenance, validation driving, customer service, and operations. Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana called the expansion a milestone in the company's global growth.

The Canadian debut is notable for the conditions it will test: Toronto will be Waymo's northernmost city to date and likely its snowiest, a real-world stress test for sensor and planning systems that have mostly been proven in milder US climates. Waymo currently runs commercial robotaxi service in 15 US cities and has testing programs underway in London and Tokyo, making Toronto part of a broader push to prove the technology works outside its original Sun Belt strongholds.

As first reported by TechCrunch, the Toronto expansion adds Canada to a growing list of countries where Waymo is testing whether autonomous ride-hailing can scale beyond its US base — and whether regulators elsewhere will move at the same pace Ontario has shown so far.